Local Catholics told not to shake hands during Mass for second time in 2018

The Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor in Northern Ireland has suspended the shaking of hand during the sign of peace ritual at Mass and asked that churches install hand sanitizers as fear of spreading winter colds grips the nation.

The Diocese of Down and Connor is the second-largest Catholic diocese in Ireland.

This is the second time in 11 months that such restrictions have been imposed in Down and Connor Diocese, which includes Belfast and three counties, the BBC reported on Nov. 12.

Church representatives said the move was taken after consulting with local medical doctors.

They encouraged parishioners who were feeling unwell to skip Mass and stay at home, while suggesting that those who do attend church services pay more attention to their hygiene, especially regarding washing their hands.

A diocesan spokesman told the BBC that the ban on physical contact would likely stay in place until early 2019, after which it would be “reviewed upon further medical advice at the end of the flu season.”

The country showed similar flu jitters last year, with hospitals warned to prepare for possibly the worst flu season on record in the wake of the heavy outbreak of the H3N2 virus in Australia and New Zealand.

This led to the “sign of peace” being suspended in the diocese this January.

Many Catholic churches in the UK adopted similarly strict measures in 2009 during the swine flu epidemic.

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